07年考研英语阅读理解精读100篇unit38

Unit 38

Bragging about your fancy new cell phone is a fleeting pleasure; after all, today's coolest models tend to be next month's paperweights. By contrast, the half-life of a cordless phone for the home is measured in years. So if you really want to be ahead of the tech curve, forget the cell-phone wars and check out the new 5.8-GHz cordless phones.

Named after the frequency of the radio wave (measured in billions of cycles per second) that carries the signal between the handset and the base station, 5.8-GHz phones promise more clarity because there are fewer devices that operate on the same frequency and thus fewer to cause interference. If you have a cordless phone that is a couple of years old or even a new one that costs less than $50, chances are it is a 900-MHz model that is highly susceptible to static or buzzing from baby monitors, wireless speaker systems and your neighbors' 900-MHz phones. The newer 2.4-GHz units, introduced as an improvement over the 900-MHz models, do get less static, but wireless home networks and microwave ovens can still trigger a snap-crackle-pop effect. Not so the 5.8 GHz. So far, only a few companies sell the new models, and they don't come cheap. Uniden's TRU5865 costs $149, while the Vtech 5831 is $179. I preferred the Uniden because it was static free both inside my apartment and up to a block away. Its compact design hides the antenna inside the handset, and the glowing orange keys and display look sharp. The VTech got equally clear reception indoors, but I could stray only a few buildings down the block before buzzing set in.

But is it really worth an extra $100 (or more) to step up to 5.8 GHz? Maybe. When I tried out the Panasonic KX-TC1481B, a $39 900-MHz model, I could hear other conversations and even music coming through the phone. I got much clearer reception with the Motorola MA351, a $60 2.4-GHz model--except when I turned on my microwave oven and was assaulted by weird vibrating noises coming through the handset. Still, the Motorola is a decent option at a fair price.

No matter which kind of phone you're considering, a few other factors are worth keeping in mind. First, ask about battery life. While I liked the reception best on the Uniden, for example, it can go only four hours between charges vs. eight on the Vtech.

Next, find out if the phone is analog or digital. Both 5.8-MHz phones are digital, but that's not always the case with the models that use other frequencies, and this makes them an easier target for eavesdroppers. The best digitals use digital spread-spectrum (DDS) technology, which sends the signal down a broad range of frequencies to ensure that it gets through.

Finally, shop at a store that offers a money-back guarantee. That way you can torture test the phone for a few days. Then, once you're certain everything's O.K., go ahead and start bragging about it to all your friends.

注（1）：本文选自Time; 12/2/2002, p104, 3/4p, 3c；

注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象2004年真题Text 1；

1.       How does the author introduce the topic?

[A]Explaining a phenomenon.

[B]Justifying an assumption.

[C]Posing a contrast.

[D]Making a comparison.

2.       Which of the following can be an advantage of Vtech over Uniden?

[A]A longer battery life.

[B]Free of static interference.

[C]Fashionable outlook.

[D]Compact design.

3.       The expression “susceptible to”(Line 5, Paragraph 2) most probably means __________.

[A]relevant with

[B]adaptable to

[C]immune from

[D]sensitive to

4.       What is the most distinctive feature of 5.8-GHz phones?

[A]Fairer price.

[B]Higher clarity.

[C]More attractive model.

[D]No easier target for eavesdroppers.

5.       Which of the following is true according to the text?

[A]It is worthwhile to buy any of 5.8-GHz phones.

[B]Battery life determines your selection of the phone.

[C]The earlier you bought the phone, the more static interference you got.

[D]5.8-GHz phones are becoming popular with consumers.

答案：CADBC

篇章剖析

本文是一篇说明文，详细介绍了新一代无绳电话的性能以及购买时应注意的事项。第一段指出无绳电话比手机的实用性强；第二段指出新一代无绳电话比以前的无绳电话产品的清晰度以及抗静电干扰性要强的多，并且对两款新一代无绳电话产品进行了比较；第三段指出值得购买新一代产品；第四段、五段和六段指出如何进行产品挑选。

词汇注释

cordless[5kC:dlIs]adj.不用电线的

chic[Fi:k,FIk]n.别致的款式(尤指妇女的服饰)

eliminate[I5lImIneIt]vt.排除, 消除

static[5stAtIk]adj.静态的, 静力的; n. 静电噪声 

brag[brA^]v.吹牛

cell phone  n.手机

fleeting  adj.飞逝的；短暂的

paperweight[5peIpEweIt]n.纸镇, 书镇

half-life  n.（事物衰落前的）使用（或流行）期

curve[k\:v]n.曲线, 弯曲, [棒球]曲线球, [统]曲线图表

check out  v.付帐后离开, ,检验, 合格, 及格

gHz  abbr. gigahertz千兆赫兹

handset[5hAndset]n.电话听筒, 手机, 手持机

base station  n.基地台

MHZ  兆赫(兹)

susceptible[sE5septIb(E)l]adj.易受影响的, 易感动的, 容许...的

buzz[bQz]v.作嗡嗡声, 嗡嗡作响, 逼近

trigger[5trI^E(r)]vt.引发, 引起, 触发

compact[5kRmpAkt]adj.紧凑的, 紧密的, 简洁的

stray[streI]v.迷路, 偏离

set in  v.开始, 到来, 上涨, 插入, 嵌入，开始, 涨潮

step up to  接进, 走进

assault[E5sC:lt]v.袭击

analog[5AnElR^; (?@) 5AnElC:^]n.类似物, 相似体

eavesdropper[ `i:vz9drCpE(r) ]n.偷听者

money-back  adj.（消费者如对所购产品不满）有权获得退款的

torture[5tC:tFE(r)]v.破坏性试验

难句突破

If you have a cordless phone that is a couple of years old or even a new one that costs less than $50, chances are it is a 900-MHz model that is highly susceptible to static or buzzing from baby monitors, wireless speaker systems and your neighbors' 900-MHz phones.

主体句式：chances are …

结构分析：本句是一个条件从句。在从句中，两个that引导的都是定语从句，分别修饰phone 和a new one，其中one指代的也是phone；主句句形是chances are，这是一个固定用法，意思是it is most probable；主句中that引导的是定语从句，其中susceptible to的意思是“易受影响的”。

句子译文：如果你家的无绳电话是你两、三年前购买的，或者是你花了不超过50美元的价格新买的，那么你这部电话很可能是900兆赫的。这款电话极易受静电的干扰，婴儿监控器、无线扬声器系统以及邻居家的900兆赫款电话都能使它发出嗡嗡声。

题目分析

1.       答案为C，属事实细节题。文章开头就手机和无绳电话的实用性进行了对比，意在指出

无绳电话的实用性较强。

2. 答案为A，属事实细节题。原文对应信息是“While I liked the reception best on the Uniden, for example, it can go only four hours between charges vs. eight on the Vtech.”。选项B是这两种无线电话的共同特征；选项C和D是Uniden的特征。

3. 答案为D，属猜词题。在文章第二段，作者就5,800兆赫无绳电话和以前的无绳电话产品在抗干扰性能进行了对比。5,800兆赫无绳电话几乎不受静电干扰的影响，而以前的产品则不同，由此可猜出词义。

4. 答案为B，属事实细节题。原文对应信息是第二段“5.8-GHz phones promise more clarity”。

5. 答案为C，属事实细节题。本题的关键是对句子“If you have a cordless phone that is a couple of years old or even a new one that costs less than $50, chances are it is a 900-MHz model that is highly susceptible to static or buzzing from baby monitors, wireless speaker systems and your neighbors' 900-MHz phones.”的理解。详细解释参见难句突破部分。

参考译文

炫耀你的新款手机如何的神奇只是瞬间的快乐，因为今天最酷的机型到下个月就只能拿它当镇纸用了。相反，家用无绳电话的使用期却是有些年头的。所以如果你真想走在科技发展的前沿，那么就请你忘掉手机大战，去试试新款5,800兆赫无绳电话吧。

这款5,800兆赫电话是以在电话听筒和基地台之间传递着信号的无线电波（每秒几十亿赫）频率来命名的。这款电话之所以能保证其音质更为清晰，原因在于几乎不存在其它同频率运转的设备，因此造成的干扰也就几乎不存在。如果你家的无绳电话是你两、三年前购买的，或者是你花了不超过50美元的价格新买的，那么你这部电话很可能是900兆赫的。这款电话极易受静电的干扰，婴儿监控器、无线扬声器系统以及邻居家的900兆赫款电话都能使它发出嗡嗡声。2，400兆赫机型被推荐为900兆赫机型的改良款，它的确能减少静电干扰，但是家庭无线网络和微波炉还是无法避免对其产生噼里啪啦的干扰作用。但是这款5,800兆赫电话不会出现这种情况。迄今为止，仅有几家公司销售新机型，而且售价不菲。友利电TRU5865型售价149美元，伟易达5831款是179美元。我偏爱友利电电话是因为无论在室内还是在一个街区之外，它都不受静电的干扰。小巧的外形设计把天线置于听筒内，色彩鲜明的橙色按键和显示器看起来非常时髦。伟易达电话的室内接收效果也同样清楚，但是我沿街区刚走了几幢楼它就开始有嗡嗡声了。

真的很值得你多花100美元（或更多）去购买5,800兆赫电话吗？或许还真值。当我试用松下售价39美元的900兆赫KX-TC1481B款无绳电话时，我能听到别人的对话，甚至还有音乐通过听筒传过来。摩托罗拉售价60美元的2,400兆赫MA351款无绳电话接听效果还要更清楚一些——当然除了我打开微波炉受到从听筒里传来的奇怪的震动噪音冲击的时候。尽管如此，摩托罗拉价格公道，算是个不错的选择。

不管你在考虑购买哪一款电话，你都应该谨记其它几个方面的因素。首先，询问电池的寿命。比如说，虽然我喜欢友利电的接听效果，但相对于伟易达8小时的电池使用时间，它的使用时间仅为4小时。

其次，看是模拟机还是数字机。两个品牌的5，800兆赫电话都是数字的。但是使用其它频率的话机通常不是这样的，这就使这些话机更容易成为偷听者的目标。最好的数字话机使用的是扩展频谱（DDS）技术，这种技术能够使信号在更广的频率范围内发送，这样能保证信号成功发送。

最后，要在提供有退款保证的商店购买。这样你就能做几天的破坏性试验。一旦你能确定这部电话各方面性能都不错，那么你就去跟所有的朋友炫耀去吧。